Yes, Nathan Tinkler was an electrician and he became a billionaire. Anyone can make it if they try. If a person is taking it easy on benefits then that's their CHOICE. Their drug lifestyle is also their choice. Other people choose to get ahead. A class system no longer exists. If you're well off that's your choice, if you are a drug addled welfare bludger/single mother that's your choice. It's all about choice, choice, choice.

Dear SM,

Not so sure what the wife of Karl Marx had to do with
their status in Great Britain. She apparently was a
regular costomer of the London pawnbrokers.

As for your suggestion that anyone can make it in
society. Not quite. You gforgot to mention that people,
afterall grow up to be unequal in talents, skills,
determination, perseverance, thrift, and so on. All of
these things will tend to achieve unequal rewards.

Yes there are a few success stories - however as we know
the upper class is a tiny one - containing the richer and
most powerful people in the country. Its most
prestigious members are an old aristocracy of birth
and wealth - for to be fully respectable in this country,
money like wine, must age a little. The names of families
in this group are familiar ones - the Baillieu family
springs to mind - and others whose
fourtunes were founded at least a couple of generations ago.
These people know each other personally, they attend the
same schools, and inter-marry. The less prestigious members -
are those with "new money" - the real estate developers,
miners, lottery winners, fast-food tycoons and others who
have struck it rich. Although these newcomers may have more
money, better houses, and larger automobiles, than possessors
of old money, they lack the right "breeding" to be accepted
into the very highest social circles.

People do not all have equal opportunity to rise to the top;
those already close to the heights have but a short way to
travel; those nearer the bottom face a longer and harder
journey.

I have been asked by some to define “class” . . .

. . . others wish me to provide some examples of “class oppression” in modern day Australia.

First, I will give an obvious definition of “class” IF same can provide me with a definition of the “bogan” or the “Housoe”.
In any case the non-manual labour class of people [generally middle to upper class – leaders] are usually never the first to openly think and speak in terms which create stark barriers between themselves and “those others” [blue collar workers].

As for examples of class oppression –
the main one and most extreme instance is in the changes in housing markets over the last 4 decades. That is to say, with the population increasing 4 or 5 times over the 30-40 years, coupled with the entire industries of low-skilled and manual labour factory jobs that the lower classes traditionally [centuries] have been employed in being 99% erased from our nation and given to more profitable [not for the poorer] Asian slave worker markets . . . . .
. . . . this has resulted in the average worker and family of 100,000 p.a. or less [who as a class also usually cannot rely upon inheritance from family] having their ability to purchase a house and land as near impossible. This means now the poorest 30-40% of our nation will forever be beholden to the kids of the wealthier classes who own ALL the land and houses – rent forever and pay off the second homes of rich kids.

Other examples are self evident by the existence of shows like “Bogan Hunters” and “Housoes” which mock and tease the poorest people in society – even laugh at how some have black teeth

to all those imbeciles out there who somehow have the bizarre blief that living standards, wealth etc for the poorest has improved drastically over thedecades . . .

First - just because we have more technical gadgets, flat screen tvs and mobile phones DOES NOT indicate that overall wealth and standards has gone up. How does it?

Second - 50 years ago the poorer class were mostly employed in low-skilled jobs and had the job stability to be able to have a family and purchase a home by age 40, as house/land prices were so much lower it is hard to fathom. Today the descendants of those people/class have extremely high rates of unemployment, underemployment, employment instability etc.; also due to many factors of which primarily the massive population increases [immigration] the prices of land/homes has gone up above the reach of most of that class. To make it all worse the wealthier business classes decided to take ALL their traditional low-sill jobs away and give them to Asia meaning that the entire universe of the poorer class changed 100% over 2-3 generations.

Tell me how on earth can ANYONE remotely think that this class has actually become wealthier and better off than 50 years ago?

Foxy,

I don't consider the social circles relevant.

The laws are not based on everyone having equal talents, etc, but equal opportunity. Everyone can complete school, go to uni, become doctors, lawyers, businessmen etc.

Those that are well off typically not only pass down some of their wealth, but genetics, work ethic and priorities that are the prime factors in their success. Smart hard working parents tend to raise smart well balanced children that also expect to work hard and aim high.

Indeed Shadow Minister -

. . . the type of 'equality' our culture in principle attempts to employ and to foster is NOT to make every individual of equal intelligence and ability and wealth . . .

. . . BUT . . . it is in fact the aspect of individual worth and recognition in world that is of the possible temporal mode rather than the actual temporal mode. tHAT is, we follow the philosophical writings on morality and society and freedoms as most of history's "greats" have written [although not well understood by most even the 'official experts" like academics] - which is to strive for the universal understanding, recognition and attempt to physically institute the "existential equality" - which is the very fact of each person's 'possibility' of being authentic and actualized as a being.

That means that [as Minister says] the type of 'equality' we seek to have is only about having as equal as possible the CHANCES afforded each individual so that they might use such to achieve great things.

As for those who cannot comprehend that in some cases a physical disadvantage [crippled] can be as much a hindrance to a person with certain social and family wealth disadvantages.

E.G. a kid born to drug addict parents has memories of being pushed around Cabramatta and constantly yelled at, left unfed and unclean to attend school [making them a lepper and social outcastwith no friends]. On top of that mess this kid develops intellectual skills less than most others and likely evolves a seriously unstable personality which often leads to prison and drugs.

Is that child when turn adult do you think going to have ANY chance to succeed?

Yes the abused person might actually CHOOSE to fight and get jailed or to drink heavily, BUT the state of mental mess in his realm surely makes CHOICE very dfferent practical senses than a well to do stable middle class preson